1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle seat of the type having a tip-up structure (or mechanism) for allowing a seat cushion thereof to be tipped up to a generally upright non-use position, and in particular, the invention is directed to the vehicle seat with such seat cushion tip-up structure having an interlocked relation with a lock mechanism for locking and unlocking the seat to a given position in the fore-and-aft direction.
2. Description of Prior Art
There has been known a vehicle seat having a seat cushion tip-up structure by which a seat occupant can tip up the seat cushion thereof from a generally horizontal use position to a generally upright non-use position. For example, as disclosed from the Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-40009, the seat disclosed therein is provided with a slide rail device to which a seat lock mechanism is operatively connected, and a seat cushion tip-up mechanism, wherein the slide rail device is formed by a lower rail and an upper rail slidably fitted in the lower rail. In this prior art, a base frame is connected with the upper rail, and a seat cushion is rotatably provided in the base frame to constitute the seat cushion tip-up structure allowing the seat cushion to be tipped up. Also, a rotary actuator piece is rotatably provided for causing locking and unlocking action of the seat lock mechanism, and a wire cable is connected between a control lever of the seat cushion tip-up mechanism and such rotary actuator piece, so that operating the control lever causes rotation of the rotary actuator piece to actuate the seat lock mechanism to lock and unlock the upper rail to and from the lower rail.
In this conventional type of seat, of course, the operation of the control lever is effected in both of the case where the seat cushion is in a horizontal normal use position and the case where it is in the tipped-up non-use position. Such seat cushion has a center of rotation at the backward end portion thereof and is provided with the foregoing control lever. Therefore, since the rotary actuator piece is disposed at the base frame or the upper rail, it has been found in some cases that the control lever interferes with the base frame, and that the wire or wiring between the control lever and the rotary piece interferes with the seat cushion tip-up mechanism, the seat cushion frame, or the base frame. For that reason, the conventional seats of this sort have been faced with some mechanical troubles and malfunction, and it is annoyingly necessary to arrange a rather intricate wiring in the seat cushion, which results in being an obstacle to smooth assembly of the vehicle seat with seat cushion tip-up mechanism.